As we gather here together May we be attentive one to another. May we listen carefully, may we freely speak. May we be respectful of one another. May we be serious, yet not somber. May we be light of heart And full of good cheer. As we gather here together May we work toward common goals....

I. THE CYNIC I was the town cynic whose life was choked out By a hidden disease of the heart That I knew was there in my chest But never told. And I carried it around with me And quoted verses to the people I met About the vanity and absurdity of it all And made them weep. If only they could have...

Every year, the same conundrum: How do we find our way into Easter when, for us, the most important part about Jesus of Nazareth is his teachings, rather than his death? Like many traditional holidays, it must have some meaning to us beyond its commercial trappings. But what is that meaning,...

From "The Young People in the Church," September 20, 1902 What is our idea of a church? Are we simply a mutual admiration society, meeting from Sunday to Sunday to congratulate ourselves that we are not so bigoted as other people, and sigh because they are not emancipated?...

I believe in One God: That is, the heaven we make on earth. And in all the prophets and saviors, the begotten children of all people, Born under every banner and tribe, nation and state, parcel and plot, Whose suffering, struggles, and wisdom free me from injustice, And lift me up so that I, too,...

They need to light a candle, and have a quiet moment to enjoy its mystery. They need to sing a song, to hear their own voice and other voices joined together, and to feel the feelings that are stirred by music....

We give thanks for the needs of our community that remind us of our common humanity. We give thanks for the needs of humanity that help us grow into the compassion of the Buddha, the love of Jesus, and the charity of Mohammed....

Because there have been times when shame has crushed our ability to be wholehearted We let go of who we ought to be and embrace who we are. Because we have not always had the courage to be imperfect We let go of who we ought to be and embrace who we are....

Arise, then, women of this day! Arise, all women who have hearts, whether our baptism be of water or of tears! Say firmly: "We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies, "Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause. "Our sons shall not be...

As we gather to celebrate In this time of beginnings In the season of birth and rebirth, We hear the heart beat of Mother Earth With the spring time comes the blossoming of the plants A time of exploration and creation And the emerging patterns of life We hear the heart beat of Mother Earth Let u...

Every third Tuesday, I am a Buddhist I empty my mind and lighten my heart And try to let go of attachments Every other Friday, I am a Christian. I look for the least of these And try to love God and my neighbor The full moon of the month finds me Wiccan; I honor the dual nature of God And find my...

The tale I am about to tell is a based on a true story. It is a tale woven from the stories of those who remember. It is a tale of wayward travels, a tale of the stranded tourist. Some of the people who recounted the events described it as a Happy Accident....

Singing the Journey uses our Six Sources as organizing themes, as shown in the sections of the Table of Contents. “The Living Tradition we share draws from many sources,” so come with me now on a short spiritual romp through these six sections as I draw only from the song titles in each section...

Reader 1: They teach us to read in black and white. Reader 2: Truth is this—the rest is false. Reader 3: You are whole—or broken. Reader 2: Who you love is acceptable—or not. Reader 1: My life tells its truth in many hues. Reader 2: We are taught to think in "either/or"s Reader 1: I believe...

When the world’s violence shatters the joy of a moment We pause and reach out for the hands that remain We open our hearts with love. When despair rises as a monster from the deep and drags down one of our own, our answer is that We open our hearts with love....

How shall we begin to live out our free faith? Nurture this precious light. When we do, we are beacons of freedom creating a safe place to rest, explore, and innovate. Nurture this precious light!...

Litany Response: “A Day!” Do we really apprehend what a day is? Do we feel its importance? Do we know its capacity? A day! It has risen upon us from the great depth of eternity, girt round with wonder; emerging from the womb of darkness; a new creation of Life and Light spoken into being by the...

Somos una gente del arco iris. We are a rainbow people. The rainbow is an arc of light brilliantly displaying all the colors of the visible spectrum, all the colors that combine to make the astounding beauty of our world, all the colors that combine to reflect the astounding diversity of human...

We know there is great abundance in our world: a great abundance of suffering—of people homeless, hungry, frightened, lonely, in danger, sick, exhausted, and wondering when this abundant suffering shall cease. We know there is great abundance in our world: a great abundance of love—of people...

When we introduce ourselves to another person, we usually extend our hand and summarize ourselves with one word, usually our name. "Hello, my name is Naomi…" These are the kinds of face-to-face greetings that initiate relationships, that open our hearts and act as a bridge of connection from one...